EAR BLISS: New releases that are on opposite ends of the spectrum

September 26, 2013

By

DAN FERGUSON

New releases on the opposite ends of the spectrum are the M.O. for this weekâs Ear Bliss. The North Mississippi All-Stars, more often than not, fall into the jam band category. With a sound so nestled in their native Mississippi, such classification is borderline shameful. Those roots are on full display on the new album World Boogie is Coming. On the flip side, we have Glen Campbell. Campbellâs career began as a member of the legendary L.A. session band, The Wrecking Crew. It was his guitar-playing that was his entry point into the music business, but we all know that he went onto a career much greater than just guitar player. In mid-2011, Campbell announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimerâs disease. He would proceed to embark on a farewell mission which included a final tour and now his new release which is likely to be the swan song of his recording career. Letâs take a look.

North Mississippi All-Stars
World Boogie is Coming
Songs of the South Records

On their seventh studio album titled World Boogie is Coming, the North Mississippi All-Stars peg it in the Mississippi Hill Country sounds they grew up with and keep it right there. Bluesy, rockinâ, jammy, primitive at times and flat-out boogie chillinâ at others, this rural funk fest of a roots record is plenty impressive. The term âWorld boogie is comingâ can be traced back to the late Memphis jack-of-all-trades of all things music, Jim Dickinso,n who played with everyone from Dylan to Aretha to the Stones and produced everyone from the Replacements to Big Star to Mudhoney. You could find the phrase on all of the elder Dickinsonâs late career solo releases. Itâs all about the groove and his legacy, that being sons Luther and Cody, who have been spearheading the NMAs from the outset, have learned it well. Recorded at the Zebra Ranch Studios in Hernando, MS, a studio built and operated by their dad, the songs span originals that push the sonic boundaries of past endeavors to reworkings of traditional chants, fife and drum, blues guitar benders and stompinâ boogie rockers, and all with endless amounts of rhythm. Weâre talking works from the likes of departed blues icons such as Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner, Bukka White, Willie Dixon, and Sleepy John Estes. In addition to a guest appearance by Robert Plant, the brothers are joined by a cast of thousands from their stomping grounds including Duwayne and Garry Burnside (children of late blues great R.L. Burnside), guitarist Kenny Brown, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Sharde Thomas (granddaughter of late Mississippi fife & drum legend Otha Turner), ex-NMA member Chris Chew, Lightninâ Malcolm, and Sid and Steve Selvidge. The sum total sees the NMAs cruise their way through 17 tracks readymade for letting loose and getting your groove on. Plain and simple, World Boogie is Coming is country music, Mississippi Hill Country-style.

Glen Campbell
See You There
Surfdog Records

For fans, when Glen Campbell made his announcement just over two years ago that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimerâs disease, it was crushing blow. Whereas there were some fracases with the law in recent years, Campbell in the time leading up to the diagnosis had gotten back into the limelight displaying the talent that got him to the pop pinnacle in the first place. Itâs hard not to view his new release titled See You There with a heavy heart. One certainly cannot tell anything by his performance, but it is sad. Fittingly, the 12-song affair dives heavily into the timeless tunes that Campbell will forever be associated. The album is heavy with re-cut versions featuring new Campbell vocals on many of the staples that to this day stop people in their tracks and incite the flashbacks when they hear them. If this is truly the swan song, See You There is played to perfection. With entirely complimentary accompaniment, Campbell is in excellent voice on a retrospective journey that takes the listener through all the treetops from âWichita Linemanâ to âGentle on My Mindâ to âGalvestonâ to âBy the Time I Get to Phoenixâ to âTrue Gritâ to âRhinestone Cowboyâ. Visit www.glencampbellmusic.com or wwww.surfdog.com.